1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image display system, an image display method, an image display device, an image data processor, a program, a storage medium, and an image processing program distribution server.
2. Related Art
There have been known image display systems including a personal computer that processes image data (image data processor), a liquid crystal projector (image display device) that displays an image based on image data processed by the personal computer, and a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable (transmission path) that transmits data between the personal computer and the liquid crystal projector (see for example JP-A-2004-88194).
In the image display system disclosed by JP-A-2004-88194, image data based on which an image is to be displayed by the liquid crystal projector is input to the personal computer and processed therein, and then transmitted to the liquid crystal projector through the USB cable. The liquid crystal projector displays the image on a screen based on the processed image data received through the USB cable.
At the time, one kind of processing carried out by the personal computer is characteristics correction processing for the liquid crystal projector. In this processing, using parameters for characteristics correction processing (characteristics correction data) for each individual liquid crystal projector, the image data is corrected according to the characteristics of each liquid crystal projector, and the processing includes for example VT correction (V: voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel in the liquid crystal projector, T: the transmittance of the liquid crystal panel), γ correction and color unevenness correction.
The parameters for characteristics correction processing refer to parameters specific to each individual liquid crystal projector and stored in the parameter memory of each liquid crystal projector. Once the image display system is activated, the parameters for characteristics correction processing are read out and transmitted to the personal computer. The personal computer stores the received parameters for characteristics correction processing and executes characteristics correction processing for the liquid crystal projector based on the characteristics correction processing parameters. Note that in order to carry out characteristics correction processing based on the parameters for characteristics correction processing, a display device driver corresponding to the kind of the liquid crystal projector must be installed in advance. More specifically, the characteristics correction processing for the liquid crystal projector in the personal computer can be executed only when the display device driver installed in advance and the characteristics correction processing parameters received from the liquid crystal projector are available.
As described above, in the image display system disclosed by JP-A-2004-88194, the display device driver corresponding to the kind of the liquid crystal projector must be installed in advance in order to execute the characteristics correction processing for the liquid crystal projector.
However, in order to install such a display device driver, the personal computer must be connected to a network to download the display device driver, or the display device driver must be read out from a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, which is a troublesome operation. When the kind of the image display device (such as a liquid crystal projector) used for displaying images is to be changed, a new display device driver corresponding to the kind of the new device must be installed all over again, which is particularly cumbersome. Furthermore, when such a display device driver is upgraded to a new version, the new version driver must installed, and this is inconvenient.
The display device driver must be compatible with the OS (Operating System) or the video function of the personal computer to which the driver is installed, and the adaptation can be very costly or time-consuming in view of much diversified OS and video functions of today.